A CALL TO RESPOND

CO-CURATED WITH JOANNA LEFLORE

BEMIS CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY ARTS, CARVER BANK

APRIL 17–SEPTEMBER 19, 2015

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A Call to Respond was a five-month series that took audience interaction and collaboration as its focus, and aiming to generate meaningful dialogue about collective action and creative placemaking. From performances to installations to meetups, this multidisciplinary series involved a variety of artists from the Omaha Metro area.

Series highlights included an interactive installation that asked visitors to define community; a site-specific sculpture by Lakota artist Sarah Rowe; presentations by Carver Bank alumni Dereck Higgins and Denise Chapman; musical performances by DJ Dojorok and Chikadibia Ebirim; meetups on such topics as gentrification; a House Party in conjunction with Native Omaha Days, and more.

As part of the Bemis’s program of Public Engagement, A Call to Respond contributed to a larger effort to mobilize Omahans around contemporary arts and ideas; connect artistic practices to local issues; position community voices at the center of programmatic dialogue and debate; and cultivate a spirit of neighborliness by actively engaging local organizations.

Carver Bank was open until 8pm every third Friday April through September.

HIGHLIGHTSFriday, April 17: “Talk Back Wall” and music with DJ DojorokSaturday, April 25: Digital Domain As Paintbrush, a workshop with Dereck HigginsSaturday, May 30: Meetup on gentrificationFriday, July 17: Opening reception, Vertical Disintegration by Sarah RoweSaturday, August 1: Carver Bank House PartyFriday, September 18: Only Peace Community Arts Festival, hosted by Chikadibia Ebirim